


Mortem Domus

by kaywritesfanfic



Category: Newsies (1992), Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Canon Sprace (Spot Conlon/Racetrack Higgins), Death, Gen, Implied Blush (Kid Blink/Mush), Implied Finch/Buttons, Newsies - Freeform, Tears, also a nonbinary smalls, death trigger, trigger warning, you need to read this with a box of tissues, you will cry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-09
Updated: 2018-09-09
Packaged: 2019-07-10 05:04:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 7,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15942365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaywritesfanfic/pseuds/kaywritesfanfic
Summary: When 19 friends wake up in a strange room, it takes everything to remain calm. With a twisted game, death, and terror haunting them, they become desperate for an escape. The more clues they uncover, the more they look for a way out. No matter how much they plan, they are always hit with a frightening realization:They aren't in control.





	1. Chapter 1

The first thing Jack saw was all of his friends unconscious on the floor. Then, he began to wonder why they were asleep on the floor of Jacobi’s. When he looked around the room, he had a terrifying realization.

They weren’t at Jacobi’s.

“Guys.” Jack looked at everyone. “Guys. Wake up.”

Buttons stirred and rubbed his eyes. He yawned and rolled his neck. “Jack? What’s going on?” He lifted his head. “Where are we?” Panic started setting in. “Jack, where are we? What’s happening?”

Jack quickly moved to Buttons to soothe him. “Hey, it’s okay. We’re okay.” He grabbed Buttons’ hands and held them to stop shaking. “Hey, hey, hey. It’s gonna be okay.”

Buttons nodded, but only half-believing him. “It’s gonna be okay.” He repeated the words to himself to calm himself down. “It’s gonna be okay.” He took a deep breath and sighed. “So where are we?”

Jack shook his head and shrugged. “I haven’t figured that out yet.”

Buttons held down the new wave of panic that was setting in his chest. “So what are we going to do?”

“I don’t know, Buttons.” Jack scratched the back of his head, a habit that he had in stressful situations. In this situation, he could scratch his scalp off. “I guess we wait for everyone to wake up.”

“Jack?” Davey slowly sat up. “What’s happening? Where are we?” He looked around the room.

“I don’t know,” Jack repeated, shrugging his shoulders. “I don’t know, alright? All I know is that we somehow ended up here from Jacobi’s.”

“What does Jacobi’s have to do with this?”

“I don’t know.”

“I heard Jacobi’s. Are we getting something to eat? I’m starving.” Race was grumbling and covered his eyes.

“Stop thinking with your stomach, moron.” Spot grunted and sat up. He took a glance at their surroundings and felt his insides go cold. “Race, get up.”

“No,” Race said with a bitter voice. “You called me a moron.”

Spot slapped Race’s leg. “This isn’t a joke, Race. Seriously, get up.”

Race reluctantly sat up and saw the room. “What…?” He got on his feet and carefully avoided the unconscious bodies of his friends. “Where are we?” He studied the paintings on the wall. He traced the ancient picture frames with his fingers. “This isn’t a ‘when are we’ situation is it?”

“What’s going on?” Finch sat up. “How did we get here?”

“What are you talking about?” Henry asked.

One by one, the others woke up. Elmer cried, JoJo was observing the room with Race, and Smalls was being comforted by Romeo and Sniper. Along with Crutchie, Albert, Mike, Ike, and Mush, Kid Blink was sitting and watching the others. Specs was still asleep on the floor. Nobody bothered him.

“Why are we here?” Albert asked. “Why isn’t Tommy Boy or Les here?” He took another look around the room. “Kath isn’t here either.”

Jack stood in the middle of the room to address everyone. “Okay, what is the last thing everyone remembers?”

Various answers of “Jacobi’s” was coming from every direction in the room.

“Tommy Boy wasn’t at Jacobi’s,” Finch recalled. “He was sick. He canceled.”

“Yeah,” Davey added. “Les wasn’t able to come.”

“Kath left early,” Jack said. “So whoever was at Jacobi’s ended up here.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” Kid Blink said. “And why is Specs still sleeping? If we were all put to sleep and awake now, then he should be, too.”

Mush knelt by Specs and tapped him. “Specs, wake up.” He shook him and tapped him again. “Specs.” He turned to the others. “He isn’t waking up.”

Jack, a little too quickly, ran to Specs and tried waking him. He turned Specs on his back and jumped backward in horror. Specs had a large gash on his neck with dried blood caking it. His glasses were cracked and he was motionless, staring into the ceiling.

“Oh, my God,” Mush screamed, choking on his words. He moved away from Specs’s body. “Is that…? Is he…?”

Jack closed his eyes and looked away, trying to keep his tears back. Specs couldn’t be…. “Dead.”

“What is happening?” Smalls demanded, clutching their shirt in their fist. “What is this place?”

Mush cried into Kid Blink’s arms, Elmer and JoJo were trying to calm themselves down and Race was trying to keep his face serious, but it was obvious that it was really taking a toll on him. Spot was in the corner with his face in his hands, trying to think of a plan.

“Jack, what are we going to do?” Finch asked. He was holding Buttons. “How are we going to get out?”

Jack, while trying to get Specs’ lifeless form out of his head, thought of an idea. “We need to have a team examine the hallway.” There were a few grunts of disapproval at first, but then everyone nodded in agreement. “Who wants to volunteer?”

There were a couple of seconds of silence before Romeo spoke up. “I’ll go.” He stood up and slowly made his way to the door. “If this is what it takes to get us out, then so be it.”

“I’ll go with him,” Henry and Sniper said in unison. They looked at each other and slowly moved to join Romeo.

“Let’s go.” Romeo headed out with Henry and Sniper on his heels. They closed the door behind them.

“What do we do until they get back?”  Mush asked.

Jack sighed. “We wait.”


	2. Chapter 2

“Why are there no doors by the windows?”  Romeo asked. The group already made it a good way away from where they started.

Henry looked down the hall and noticed what Romeo pointed out. Was it possible…? Henry approached the window and looked through the foggy glass. His throat closed up. “Romeo, you might want to look at this.”

Romeo walked to the window and looked. “Oh, God.” He looked behind Henry to address Sniper and frowned. “Where’s Sniper? Do you think–.” A gunshot resounded through the hallway and Romeo fell on his back.

“Romeo!” Henry fell by Romeo’s side. “Oh, my God. Oh, my God.” He held Romeo in his lap. “Jesus.” He tried finding the direction they came from. “Jack! Davey! Sniper! Someone, help!” When Henry realized that no one could hear him, he turned his attention back to Romeo. “Romeo, hold on. You’re gonna be fine.”

“Henry.” His voice was small, which was a stark contrast to his usual boisterous personality. “Henry, am I gonna die?” He started crying. “I don’t want to die. Don’t let me die. I don’t–.” He started choking on his words. “Please, don’t let me die.”

Henry held back a sob. He didn’t want to lie to Romeo, but he didn’t want to let Romeo die upset. “You’ll be okay, Ro.” His voice broke.

Romeo struggled to breathe. “I’m gonna die.” It came out in a squeak between choking. “Oh, God. I don’t want to die. Henry….” His breathing became slow. “Henry, don’t leave me. I don’t want…I don’t want to die alone.” He struggled to catch his breath. “Henry….”

Henry held his friend. “It’s okay, Ro.” He could feel Romeo’s body relax. “Romeo?” He lifted Romeo’s limp body up and held him as he cried.

~

“They should’ve been back by now,” Mush said.

“Where are they?” Elmer asked.

Finch was about to speak when he started gagging. He tried coughing but it didn’t work. “Guys.” Gagging turned into choking and he fell to the ground convulsing.

“Finch!” Buttons tried to comfort his friend, but he was unresponsive. “Finch!” He could feel everyone standing around him, staring. “What’s happening?”

Elmer turned away and JoJo started crying. Smalls and Race closed their eyes, unable to look at the scene. Spot stood up and held Race.

Finch’s body stopped convulsing and lay still. His lifeless eyes stared at the ceiling.

Buttons cried and pounded his fist into Finch’s chest. “What’s happening?”

Henry busted into the room with blood all over his clothes. “Where’s Sniper?”

“Jesus Christ, Henry,” Albert exclaimed. “I thought he went with you guys.” He realized Romeo wasn’t behind him. “Henry, where’s Romeo?”

Henry looked at their faces and felt tears come to his eyes. It took everything to stop himself from sobbing. “Romeo’s dead.”

“Oh, God,” Smalls cried.

“What happened?” Jack asked.

Henry tried not to think about the horrific event. “Th-there was a…there was a g-g-gunshot a-a-and Romeo was hit.” He looked at Finch’s body. “What happened to Finch?”

“He started convulsing,” Mike said. “He was gagging and choking a-and then he kind of just…fell on the floor like he was having a-a seizure or something.”

“Did you find anything?” Davey asked. He tried to keep his eyes off of Henry’s blood-soaked shirt.

Henry slowly nodded. “There are no doors on this floor.”

“This floor?” Jack asked.

Henry nodded. “We’re at least three stories above the ground.”

Ike broke his silence. “I need to know how we got here and why everyone is dying and where Sniper went.”

A phone in the corner of the room began to ring, and it got everyone’s attention. Spot slowly got to his feet. “Where did that phone come from?”

“I didn’t think those kinds of phones worked anymore,” Race said. He dodged the slap from Spot and joined Jack.

Jack slowly walked to the phone and picked it up. “Hello?”

A deep, raspy voice came through the phone. “Sorry about your friends. Sometimes, I just can’t help myself.”

Jack listened to the voice of the man on the other line. "Who is this? Where are we? Where’s Sniper?”

There was chuckling from the line and it filled Jack’s ears. It was the kind of laugh that would send chills up your spine. “Is that his name? Funny name, isn’t it?”

“Where is he?”

“He’s alive.” The gravelly voice became dark and menacing. “For now.”

Jack sighed with relief and turned to the others. “Sniper’s alive.” He turned back to the phone. “Where are we?”

“I’m afraid I can’t tell you that. I can’t have you escaping, now can I?”

“Where are we?!”

The chuckling stopped and the raspy voice muttered one phrase before ending the call. “Mortem Domus.”


	3. Chapter 3

Jack listened to the line go dead and slowly put the phone back on the hook. All he could do was stare at the wall.

“What did he say, Jack?” Davey asked.

Jack turned to the group. “‘Mortem Domus’ or something.” He shuddered. “Whatever the hell that means.”

JoJo’s face was dark. “It’s Latin for 'death house’.”

Race’s face was frozen in a mixed state of confusion and anger. “What kind of sick bastard does this?”

“Woah, woah, woah, Race,” Spot interjected, pulling his boyfriend aside. “We still don’t know who–or what–we are dealing with.”

Mike grimaced. “You really could’ve done without the 'or what’ part.”

“What does he want?” Henry demanded. “He’s killed three of our friends, a-a-and we can’t just  _stand_ here while we get picked off one by one.”

“Are we gonna die?” Elmer asked.

“Not if we get this guy first.” Albert’s nostrils were flared. “I swear to God I will make him suffer.”

“What do we do in the meantime?” Smalls asked, trying to get a word in. They looked around. “I mean…we can’t just stay here. He could just kill us all at once.”

Davey shook his head. “He probably won’t kill everyone at once. This dude is probably a sadist. He will find pleasure in emotionally manipulating us. He knows that we know we’re relatively safe in here, but he knows we want to get out. If we stay, it’s just another minute we stay trapped. Besides, he could slowly kill us one by one in here if he wanted to. Finch died without a warning. Who knows which of us is next? He’s gotta have some kind of reason. We need to stay and see what his plans are.”

Kid Blink scoffed and turned to face Davey. “So what you’re saying is that we have to give this dude what he wants?”

Davey closed his eyes and nodded. “If we want to make it out, we have to play the game.”

“We’ll die if we stay here!” Race screamed.

“We’ll die if we go out there!” Ike shot back.

“Stop screaming!” Crutchie cried. “We’ve already started giving him what he wants. He’s probably watching us right now.”

Elmer ran his fingers through his hair. “What are we going to do?”

Jack groaned and looked away from everyone. “We need to get out.”

Mike groaned. “Did you not hear what Davey just said–.”

Jack held his hand up, motioning for Mike to stop. “We need to split up and find an exit.”

“How can we find an exit if we are on the third floor?” Henry asked. “There wasn’t exactly an elevator in sight.”

Jack rubbed his face with his hands. “We need to find the staircase, whether there’s one or two. If we can find those, it can take us straight to the first floor and we’ll be free.”

Kid Blink covered his eyes. “I don’t like it.” He could feel everyone’s eyes on him. “But, if it’s the only plan that can get us out, then so be it.”

The phone rang again. Jack picked it up and carefully placed it against his ear. “What do you want?”

“Are you sure leaving is the best option? We haven’t even made it to halftime. The game’s just begun.”

Jack scoffed and felt his voice crack. “What else can we do?”

“Stay and play, Sullivan. The consequences could be…dire.”

Jack looked at the phone and put it back to his ear. “How do you know my name?”

The voice chuckled. “I know all of your names. Your real names. Anthony, Benjamin, Patrick, Louis, Sean, and the one with the long name. How did it go? Was it Jorgelino–.”

“Who are you?”

“That’s what you’ll have to find out, now isn’t it?” The line disconnected again.

Jack slammed the phone down. He screamed in frustration.

“What did he say, Jack?” Race asked. “What are we supposed to do?”

Jack looked at the faces of his friends. “He said if we don’t stay, the consequences would be dire.”

Smalls rolled their eyes. “I’m sorry, but I don’t see how staying can make it any better.”

“He knows our names.”

Albert pushed himself off of his seat. “If he’s been watching us then it wouldn’t surprise me. We’ve been referring to each other by our names.”

Jack shook his head. “Our real names, Al.” He took a shaky breath and closed his eyes. “He called me Sullivan.”

“That’s not exactly priv–.”

“Anthony, Sean, Louis, Benjamin, Patrick.” Jack slammed his fist on the table. “For God’s sake, he knew JoJo’s mouthful of a name.”

JoJo’s face went pink. “How could anyone know that? I haven’t told anyone outside of you guys.”

“Are you telling me this dude is a stalker?” Mush asked.

“Maybe?” Jack paced. “Or maybe he’s someone we know?”

Race’s face went grim. “I swear if the Delancey brothers are behind this–.”

“What are you going to do Race?” Henry asked, interrupting his sentence. “If they are behind this, they just killed three of our friends without breaking a sweat. So enlighten me. What will you do?”

Race shrunk back and sat down. He bit his fingernails and looked at the floor. “So what’s next?”

Everyone looked at Jack. He was shifting under the pressure. “I guess we stay, but only for now.”

“So what do we do in the meantime?” Ike asked.

“We wait.”


	4. Chapter 4

“When is he going to call again?” Race asked. “It feels like it’s been hours. I’m about to go crazy.”

“That’s probably what he wants,” Davey said. “We’re safer in here than we are out there.”

“Screw safe!” Kid Blink screamed. “If we stay here we’re never making it out.”

Elmer was in the corner with JoJo, helping him down from his panic attack. “When are we going to get out of here? I don’t think I can take this anymore.”

Mike clutched his head and fell against a wall. He could hear a sharp ringing in his ears and his head felt like it was about to explode.

“Mike!” Ike cried, running to his brother. He was caught by Albert. “No! Let me go!”

The ringing in his ears was gone and the pressure in his head subsided. “What the hell was that?” He felt a sharp pain in his ear and a voice–the voice–was in his head.

“Do as I say and you’ll live.”

Mike grabbed his head and cried out. “How are you in my head?”

“What does he mean ‘in his head’?” Ike asked through his tears. “How can he do that?”

“Do as I say, Mike,” the voice commanded. “Do as I say and survive. Fail, and you die.”

“What do you want?” Mike asked.

“There’s a bust on the dresser, Mike, do you see it?”

Mike looked at the bust and nodded. “I see it.”

“Walk towards it and tell me what you find underneath it.”

Mike walked to the bust and slowly lifted it. He felt sick to his stomach. “Oh, my God.”

The raspy chuckle sent chill bumps down Mike’s body. “Tell them what you see, Mike.” He was teasing him.

Mike felt his tears burn his eyes. He had a feeling of what was going to happen. “A knife.”

Ike struggled against his restraints. “What’s happening, Mike? What’s happening? What’s going on?”

“Pick it up, Mike.” The voice was soft but eerie and menacing.

Mike went to pick it up, but he pulled his hand back. “I-I can’t.”

“Pick it up!”

Mike lifted the knife off of the table. He cried and held the knife away from him. “What do you want me to do?”

“Do you see your brother, Mike?”

Mike looked at his brother. “Oh, God, no. I can’t–.”

“Kill him.”

Mike saw the panicked look on his brother’s face. “I won’t. I can’t.”

“You have sixty seconds. If you haven’t made your choice, I’ll make it for you.” The voice left and a countdown started to blare from what sounded like hidden speakers in the room.

“Why is there a countdown, Mike?” Jack asked.

Mike closed his eyes and sobbed. “I have sixty seconds to kill Ike before he makes the choice for me.”

Ike shoved Albert off of him and ran to Mike. “Mike.” He hugged him tight and cried into his shoulder. “It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not!” Mike screamed. He heard the countdown get smaller. “Nothing about this is okay!”

Ike held his brother’s hands between them. “I’m not going to be mad at you.”

Mike gagged on his sobs and looked Ike in the eyes. “I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.”

“I’m asking you to, Mike.” Ike held back his tears and took a deep breath. “It’s okay.”

Thirty seconds.

“I’m not going to kill you, Ike.” Mike pushed Ike away and held the knife away from him. “I don’t want anything to do with this.”

JoJo cried into Elmer’s shirt and avoided looking. “This is sick!”

“Mike,” Jack said. “No one is killing no one, okay? We are all getting out of here alive. You hear me?”

Twenty seconds.

“Just kill me, Mike!” Ike begged. “Just do it!”

“I’m not killing you!”

“You’re not killing anyone!” Spot yelled.

Ike held his hands to his head. “We don’t have a choice!”

Ten seconds.

Mike looked at the knife.

Nine seconds.

He played with the handle.

Eight seconds.

He looked at his bloodshot eyes in the blade.

Seven seconds.

He closed his eyes and looked to the ceiling.

Six seconds.

_There’s always a choice_ , he thought.

Five seconds.

_I’m sorry_.

Four seconds.

_I love you, Ike_.

Three seconds.

_Forgive me_.

Two seconds.

_Goodbye_.

One second.

Mike plunged the knife into his own stomach. He pulled it out and fell to the floor. The blade fell away from him.

“Mike!” Ike dropped to hold his brother. “Why?” He cried and held his brother’s head up. “Why did you do that?”

Mike looked into Ike’s eyes and choked on his words. “There’s always a choice, Ike. I couldn’t kill you.”

Ike pressed his hand on Mike’s stomach, a weak attempt at stopping the bleeding. “So you killed yourself?”

Mike’s body arched and he coughed up blood. “I couldn’t live with the guilt. I couldn’t watch you die.”

The voice came through the hidden speakers. “Wrong choice. You may be able to die satisfied with your choice, but your brother will pay the price.”

Ike felt a pain like Mike did, but it didn’t go away. It knocked him down and he was writhing on the floor by his brother. He pulled at his hair and cried and begged for the pain to stop. He felt a crack, and then there was nothing.

Mike saw his brother’s lifeless form on the floor while he slowly bled out. “Ike.” He relaxed his body and gave up fighting. “Ike.” His breathing slowed and he closed his eyes.

Jack looked away from the bodies of his friends. He felt the guilt settle in his chest. He felt responsible for these boys, and he was failing at his job.

Race shot off of the couch. “We’re all screwed!” He picked the knife up. “We’re all going to die! We might as well kill ourselves now to keep that bastard from doing it himself!”

Spot ran to Race and threw the knife out of his hand. “We are not going to kill ourselves, Race!” He felt his tears flow down his cheek and he didn’t stop them. “We are making it out. No more staying here and staying safe.”

Race sobbed and cried into Spot’s neck. “I want to get out of here!”

“We all do, babe.” He kissed Race’s head and hugged him tightly. “We all do.”


	5. Chapter 5

“Here’s the plan,” Jack said, gathering everyone around him. “We split up and we search everywhere for a staircase. We are to alert the others when one is found or wait for someone to get to you. Do you understand?”

Everyone nodded. They hugged each other tightly. They didn’t know when they would see each other again. They ran through the door and started dispersing into the hallway. One after another, they began to separate and look for their way out.

The hallway seemed to never end, and it felt like it was getting larger the farther they went. The peeling wallpaper added to the ancient feel of the house. The search for the staircase felt hopeless.

Crutchie hopped his way through the dark hallway. He was having a hard time seeing everything. He could see something coming up and he hurried his pace. The object in his sight was a door. Stricken with curiosity, he quickened his pace until he reached the door. He tried the knob and stepped back when it opened easily. He walked inside to see if he could find any clues as to where they were. He searched for a light switch and clicked it on.

“What is this place?” He asked himself. He saw a shelf with boxes. The labels were taped over. “What is this stuff?” He tried to reach for the boxes, but he wasn’t tall enough. He searched the room for a stool and stood on it, using his crutch to keep his balance. He tried to pull the box down, but it wasn’t budging at all.

The stool flew out from underneath him and he went sailing to the floor. With his grip still on the shelf, he took it down with him. The floor was approaching his face fast before everything went dark.

~

“Why are these stairs so hard to find?” Davey asked himself. He lost the others quicker than he was planning on. He was all alone in the death house. He was terrified.

There was a sound like footsteps creeping behind him. It was slow and creaky, almost exaggerated. A cold presence was approaching Davey, and he wasn’t comfortable.

“Who’s there?” Davey asked. He tried to calm himself down, but his heart was racing too fast. “Hello? Who’s there?” He felt a small pinprick on his neck and he reached to feel what it was. He pulled a small dart from his neck.  _A dart?_  He felt two more hit his neck and he yanked them out. He knew what was happening and he panicked. He ran for Jack, but he knew it would be too late. He could see Jack ahead of him and he hurried to warn him. His legs began to get heavy, and he was having a hard time staying on his feet. He was feeling the poison in the darts work its way through his bloodstream.

“Jack.”

He wasn’t close enough. He stumbled closer and almost fell.

“Jack.”

Jack turned and saw Davey struggling on his feet. He ran to support his friend. “What happened, Davey?”

Davey fell into Jack’s arms. “D-d-darts.”

“Darts?” Jack asked, pushing Davey’s hair off of his sweat-soaked forehead. “W-what do you mean?”

Davey reached up and pointed to his neck. “He hit me.” He felt the tears flowing down his face, and he wasn’t strong enough to hold them back. “I’m not going to make it, Jack.”

Jack sobbed and sat on the ground. He wasn’t strong enough to keep Davey up like that. He lowered him into his lap. “You have to make it, Davey.” His tears fell and he wiped his eyes. “You have to see Sarah and Les again.”

Davey struggled for his breath. “Tell them I love them, Jack.” He cried and closed his eyes. “Please, Jack.” He looked into his friend’s eyes. “Please tell them.”

Jack nodded. “I promise.”

Davey smiled weakly before his breath got shallow. “Thank you for being my friend.” He groaned and he stopped. Stopped breathing, stopped moving, stopped crying. Stopped living.

Jack felt the pain in his chest eat away at him slowly. Separating was a mistake, and it was his fault. Everyone that was going to die was because of his impatience. His stupid decision. He could hear footsteps approaching from behind him.

“Jack?” It was Race. “What’s going on?” He looked at the limp form in Jack’s lap. “Who’s that?”

Jack stood up and avoided Race’s eyes. “Davey.”

Race covered his mouth and bit back a sob. “Davey’s dead?”

Jack nodded. “Splitting up was a mistake. Go after everyone and stick together. We need to regroup.” He waved Race away. “Go, now!”

Race ran away from Jack and headed back in the direction he came from. He ignored the tears that fell while he ran. He just hoped that it wasn’t too late.


	6. Chapter 6

Spot looked through the window and looked at the ground below. He was baffled. Where could they possibly be, and how did this maniac manage to transport them all here?

He continued walking and played with an object in his pocket. He was sick to his stomach worried about Race. Race’s breakdown earlier showed that he needed to get out before it was too late.

He reached the end of the hallway and found nothing. He slammed his fist against the wall. “All this way for a dead end? Are you kidding me?”

A scratching sound was coming from behind him. It was long and eerie.

“Who’s there?” He felt panic rise in his chest. “Race? Sniper? Jack? Jack if that’s you I swear to God.”

The sound was closer and was almost familiar in a way. It perplexed Spot, and he was frightened. He had a bad feeling, but there was nowhere he could run.

He suddenly realized why the sound was familiar. His thoughts turned to when he and the others would play baseball. It was the sound of a bat dragging the ground.

A bat.

He tried running, but it was too late. He felt the wood connect with his face and he fell to the ground.

“Race!” He screamed, but no one could hear him. His cries echoed through the never-ending hallway. “Someone help!” He felt the blows to his chest and stomach. He heard cracking and a snap. Instantly, he knew his ribcage was broken. He could feel the wood repeatedly cracking into his skull.

When the blows stopped, the figure backed away and walked off. The bat continued dragging the ground, leaving a trail of blood behind it.

Spot tried calling out again, but all he wanted to do was sleep. He just prayed that Race wouldn’t find him like this.

~

Henry observed the wallpaper and paintings. He kept looking through the windows. He was terrified. After watching his friends die, he was desperate for an escape.

He came across an intersection in the hallway. It continued ahead at a curve, but there was a turn to the left. He went to turn left but saw a dark, shadowy figure. He hid back behind the wall before the figure could turn to see him. He tried catching his breath, but his heartbeat was in his throat.

A shadow was growing on the wall of the hallway in front of him, coming around the curve. At first, he thought it was one of the guys, but it was too big to be them. He ran for a closet in front of him and closed the door. He waited the footsteps out and kept his breathing quiet. He held his tears back. He knew what this meant.

There was more than one.

Once the heavy footsteps receded, he opened the closet and ran in the direction the figure came from. He ran into Elmer and knocked them both down.

“Henry?” Elmer asked. “Is that you?”

“Yeah, Elmer, it’s me.” Henry helped Elmer up and hugged him.

“Have you seen JoJo?” Elmer was panicking. “I lost him a little ways ago. He could have another panic attack. If he’s alone….” Elmer held back his tears. “Did you find anything?”

Henry nodded. “There’s more than one guy.”

Elmer’s stomach dropped. “Oh, God.” He went to run down the turn and Henry grabbed his shirt. 

“One of them is down there.”

Elmer nodded and held Henry’s hand. “Where can I go?”

“I just came from that way,” Henry said, pointing at the direction he came from. “With there being more than one, we need to stay together and find JoJo.”

Elmer nodded and followed Henry down the hall.

~

Kid Blink was running through the halls. Desperate for an escape, he ran past an old painting and turned back around to inspect it.

The painting was crinkled on the edges, and there was a fine layer of dust on the top. When he brushed the dust off, it revealed an animal being slaughtered, most likely from a sacrifice.

Kid Blink backed up and ran back the way he came from. He had to warn the others. He slammed into a hard object and felt arms wrap around him. A hand cover his mouth. He tried crying for help, but no one heard him.

He felt his feet leave the ground and he was slammed into the floor. He felt his breath get knocked out of him and he tried screaming. He heard a sharp sound like a knife being taken out of a sheath. He struggled to get up, but a weight was holding him down. He knew it was over, but hell would freeze before he stopped fighting.


	7. Chapter 7

Race was shaking. He was terrified. Where was Spot? Where was Albert? He had bitten his nails so far down that it drew blood.

He heard groans and coughing from up ahead. He slowed down and listened. “Wh-who’s there?”

The voice was soft and pained. “Race?”

“Spot?” Race ran towards the sound and found Spot’s body. He was relieved to find him alive, but it didn’t look like it was going to last long. “Spot, what happened?”

Spot was almost unable to look Race in the eyes. His face was beaten almost beyond recognition and his eyes were swollen. “H-he attacked me.” He coughed and spit blood.  "He broke my rib cage, Race.“

"What?” Race looked at his boyfriend. He knew what he meant. “Y-you can’t die, Spot. You can’t.”

Spot held Race’s hand. “I have something in my front left pocket. Can you get it for me?”

Race reached in his pocket and pulled out a small box. His heart skipped a beat when he opened it. Inside of the box, there was a small ring. “Spot.” He cried and took the ring out of the box. “I don’t know–.”

Spot weakly scoffed and took a shaky breath. “Just say yes, moron.”

Race let out a sob and nodded. “Yes.” He put the ring on his finger and leaned in to touch his forehead with Spot’s. “You can’t die.”

Spot groaned and shifted. “Do you think I would be dying if I had a choice?” He started coughing and choking. “Have you heard anything from anyone?”

Race closed his eyes and tilted his head to the floor. “Davey’s dead and Jack wants everyone to regroup.”

“Davey?” Spot looked behind Race. “How recent?”

“I just came from there.”

Spot shook his head and coughed up more blood. His breathing was slowing down. “The guy who attacked me just left about a minute before you got here.”

“But how–?” He stopped mid-sentence and had a horrifying thought. “Oh, my God.”

“What?”

“What if he’s not the only one?”

Spot started coughing again, but it didn’t stop.

“Spot?” Race held Spot’s head up. “Don’t do this.”

Spot’s body relaxed and his coughing ceased. He wasn’t breathing anymore.

“Spot?” Race tried for a pulse, but there was nothing. “No.” He broke into sobs and gripped Spot’s clothes in his fists. “This isn’t fair.” He felt his throat close up. He let out the biggest scream he could, but it was muffled from his sobs.

“Race?” Albert approached him. “What happened?”

Race pushed himself off of the floor and pulled Albert into a hug. “He’s gone, Al. He’s gone.”

Albert held Race and felt his stomach fall. “Who’s gone?”

Race’s tears came back and he cried into Albert’s chest. “Spot!” He gagged from crying and gripped Albert tighter. “Spot’s dead!”

“Oh, my God.” He kept Race on his feet and let him cry into his shirt. “Race, I’m so sorry.”

“He was gonna propose, Al.” Race held his hand up to show Albert the ring. “He had it in his pocket. He told me to grab it before he–.” Race held back another sob. “Jack wants us to regroup.”

“Regroup? Why?”

Race let go of Albert and wiped his eyes. “Davey’s dead.” He calmed himself down before he continued. “It’s more dangerous separated.”

“How?” Albert asked. “If there’s one guy doing this–.”

“It might not be one person.”

Albert froze. “What?”

Race grabbed his hand and led him back to find the others. “I think we’re dealing with more than one killer.”

~

JoJo was against the wall, curled up with his head in his knees. Elmer wasn’t there to help him. He got separated.

He slowly picked himself up and walked down the hall. He frantically searched for his friends but had no luck.

“Elmer?” JoJo called. He turned the corner and saw a shadowy figure five feet away, looking right at him. He turned and ran back the way he came. He tripped over his feet and hit the floor face first.

The figure behind him was now towering over him. It pulled him up by his shirt and held him up.

JoJo struggled against the grip but didn’t budge. “Someone help!” He cried into an empty hallway. He could see something swing at his face and he was knocked out cold.


	8. Chapter 8

Mush was hiding from the person on the other side of the door. With his breath caught in his throat, he waited for the person to leave. He didn’t hear them, but there were feet visible from under the door.

A faint scream was coming through the door. It sounded distant but tortured and brutal. It was enough for Mush to stay. He didn’t recognize the owner of the scream until the third one.

He looked back down at the door and the feet were gone. He busted through the door to run after the screams. When he stopped, he looked at the ground.

Kid Blink was on the floor. He was barely breathing. “Mush, go. He’ll come back.”

Mush knelt beside his friend and looked at his injuries. His stomach was torn open and he had blood on his face. “What happened?”

Kid Blink cried and turned his head in the direction of Mush, but wasn’t able to see him. “He stabbed my eyes, Mush.”

Mush felt sick to his stomach. He felt guilty for not trying to find him sooner. “Do you know where everyone else is?”

“No, but there’s something you need to know.”

Mush got closer, trying to hear what he was trying to say.

Kid Blink took a labored breath and pulled Mush closer. “Sacrifice.”

Mush furrowed his brows. “What? What do you mean?”

“A painting.” Kid Blink grimaced. “There was a painting of an animal sacrifice on the wall.”

Mush realized what he meant. “Jesus.” He saw Kid Blink relax and he lifted his head. “No, don’t die.”

Kid Blink smiled and coughed. “I think it’s too late for that.” He let out a weak breath and went limp.

Mush heard someone behind him and he turned around. He saw Jack approaching him.

“Mush?” Jack helped him up. He looked at the body and felt sick to his stomach. “Is that Blink?”

Mush nodded. “Jack, we have a massive problem.”

“What?”

“Blink saw a painting of a sacrifice.”

Jack’s stomach dropped. “Where are the others?”

Mush shrugged. “I’ve been hiding this entire time.”

Jack put his hand on Mush’s shoulder and pulled him along. “Davey’s dead. Race went to find the others to regroup.”

“D-Davey?” Mush followed after Jack as they ran for their friends. “What…how?”

“Darts.” Jack ran around the corner with Mush on his tail. He felt the pit in his stomach get heavier. He wasn’t going to be able to handle any more deaths.

~

Crutchie opened his eyes and saw a small pool of blood around his face. He could feel caked blood on his lips. He figured he busted it when he fell. He tried getting up and felt the weight of the shelf pin him down. He tried moving his feet, but his left foot was stuck under the heavy metal.

There were footsteps outside and they stopped when they approached the door.

Crutchie held his breath and closed his eyes. He listened to the door slowly open. He lifted his head to see a slightly unconscious body being thrown to the floor.

The body shifted just enough to reveal the face.

Crutchie looked away and held back his tears. “JoJo?”

JoJo mumbled through the gag in his mouth and struggled to push himself up. He made eye contact with Crutchie before cowering from the figure in the doorway.

The figure walked towards Crutchie and knelt down. It gripped the crutch by his head and lifted it into the air. “Can I use this?”

Crutchie was confused by the question until he saw the crutch swing down and hit JoJo’s stomach. He listened to his friend’s whimpers and muffled screams. He was flinching with every blow. He screamed for the others but no one came. He heard the crack of the crutch on JoJo’s head and the whimpers stopped.

The figure threw the crutch to the ground and got closer to Crutchie.

Crutchie closed his eyes and felt the figure get in his face. He cried and tried to move again. “Please don’t kill me.” He sobbed harder and refused to look up. “P-p-please don’t. I don’t want to die. I don’t–.” His sobs interrupted his sentence and he waited for his death.

“I’m not going to kill you.” The figure backed out of the room, dragging JoJo by his foot.

Crutchie heard the door close and lock. He began to scream for someone to find him, but he lost hope after a few minutes. He relaxed his body and cried into the floor. He was ready for this to be over.


	9. Chapter 9

“Race, stop,” Albert called. He pulled his friend back and pointed out of a window. “Look.”

Race looked in the direction Albert was pointing. “We definitely have to find the others, now.”

“Race.”

“What?” Race asked, keeping his attention outside.

“R-Race.” Albert’s voice was panicked.

Race turned and looked at Albert. He saw the fear in his eyes and saw him look down. He followed his eyes to a blade sticking from his stomach. “No.”

Albert fell to his knees and landed on his back. “Oh, God, Race. He got me.”

Race lifted Albert off of the ground and broke down into sobs. “Not you. Not you.”

Albert cried and held his stomach. “Race, you have to promise me something.”

“Anything, Al.”

“Make it out.”

Race closed his eyes and shook his head. “I can’t promise that, Albert.”

“Please, Race.” He grabbed Race’s hand and took the deepest breath he could manage. “Please.”

Race nodded and let his tears fall. “I promise.”

Albert smiled and closed his eyes. His body went limp in Race’s arms.

Race pulled Albert’s body into his arms and he cried into his chest.

“Race?” Jack was appearing in front of him. “Is that Albert?”

Race looked at Jack and Mush and nodded. “Spot and Albert both died.”

“Spot’s dead?” Jack held Race. “I’m so sorry, Race.”

Mush looked at Albert’s body and closed his eyes. “Have you found any useful information that could tell us where we are?”

Race wiped his eyes and took a shaky breath. “I don’t think it’s one person.”

“What makes you think that?” Jack asked.

“After leaving you, I went to find Spot. By the time I found him he was already attacked. Did you find anything?”

Mush nodded. “We might be sacrifices.”

Race’s face dropped. “Let’s go. We need to get back to the others.” He ran behind Jack and Mush, desperate to find his friends.

~

Smalls made their way down the hallway. They saw a figure on the floor and slowly approached it. They saw JoJo staring at them with lifeless eyes, lying in front of a door. They leaned down to get a closer look and heard running behind them. “Who’s there?”

Henry and Elmer were running around the corner and barreled at Smalls. “Where are the others?”

Smalls shook their head and shrugged. “Beats me.”

Elmer saw JoJo on the ground and broke. “No. No. No.” Elmer fell by JoJo and took the gag out of his mouth. “He was supposed to be alive.”

“Where’s Crutchie?” Jack’s voice echoed through the hallway. He caught up with the others with Mush and Race behind him. “Where is he?”

Muffled screams came through the door. It caught Jack’s attention. He looked at JoJo and looked at the door.

“Oh, my God.” Jack tried the door and pulled the knob, but it didn’t budge. He felt his heart in his throat. “Smalls, move JoJo. I’m kicking the door in.” He waited for Smalls to move the body of his friend and slammed his foot into the door, swinging it open. “Crutchie?”

“Jack.” Crutchie’s cries came from under a heavy metal shelf. “I’m stuck.”

Jack knelt down and pulled Crutchie. He didn’t get far. He didn’t budge at all.

“My ankle’s stuck, Jack,” Crutchie said. “It won’t move at all and it’s too heavy to lift. You have to yank my leg to get it out.”

“That could break your ankle, Crutchie.”

Crutchie shook his head. “I don’t care.”

Jack evaded his friend’s eyes and held his tears back. “Which ankle is it?”

“My left one.” He sniffled and looked down. “My good one.”

“God, Crutchie, I can’t–.”

“It’s okay.” Crutchie held Jack’s hand and squeezed it. “Do it.”

Elmer looked away from them and held onto Henry. “I don’t want to watch.”

Henry held Elmer back and closed his eyes when he heard Crutchie cry in pain.

“C'mon,” Jack said, picking Crutchie up from the floor. “I don’t think it’s broken, but it’s definitely best if you don’t walk on it.”

Crutchie nodded and held onto Jack. “Let’s get out.”

“We haven’t found Sniper, yet,” Smalls said.

“I have a feeling we won’t,” Jack said. “They could’ve been lying.”

“They?” Smalls asked. “What are you talking about?”

“We are dealing with a group of psychos,” Henry said. “I saw two at the same time.”

“Davey and Spot were attacked so far apart at almost the same time,” Race added.

Mush cleared his throat. “There were paintings of animal sacrifices on the walls.”

Smalls looked like they saw a ghost. “Are you telling me we were abducted by a cult?”

Jack shrugged. “Most likely.” He helped Crutchie onto his shoulder and started walking out of the room. “Let’s go.”

“There’s a staircase by the door, Jack,” Crutchie pointed out.

Jack looked and pointed his attention back to Crutchie. “If the staircase was right there why did you go in the room?”

“I just wanted to help.”

Jack ruffled Crutchie’s hair. “That’s okay.” He shoved the others down and lifted Crutchie into his arms. He hurried down the stairs behind the others.

When they reached the bottom, they saw the front door. They would’ve felt relieved, but it was the object in the doorway that caused their stomachs to turn.

Sniper’s body was hanging from the door frame. It was obvious that he was hanging there for a while. Pinned to his shirt was a note.

Smalls crept to the door and looked at the note. “Oh, God.”

“What does it say, Smalls?” Henry asked.

Smalls looked at their faces and cried. “It says ‘You should’ve played the game’.”

Jack felt his stomach drop. “This is all my fault.”

“No it’s not, Jack,” Crutchie said. “It isn’t your fault. You didn’t know this would happen.”

Jack shook his head. “He said if we didn’t stay in the room the consequences would be dire. It was my stupid decision to leave the room. It was my stupid decision to split up.”

“We would’ve all died if we stayed, Jack.” Elmer placed his hand on Jack’s shoulder. “It was for the best.”

The others comforted Jack and offered kind words. They were too focused on it to know what happened.

Smalls felt an arm wrap around their neck and a hand on the other side of their head.

“You can’t leave so easily,” a dark figure said. “We haven’t finished the ritual.”

“Smalls!” Elmer ran to help, but Henry pulled him back. “No.”

“It’s okay, guys,” Smalls said. They turned their head as much as they could to face the figure. “Please let my friends go. Keep me and let them go.”

“We aren’t leaving without you, Smalls,” Mush cried.

“If you don’t leave without me you won’t leave at all.” They turned their attention back to the captor. “Please let them go. I’ll stay.”

The figure chuckled and looked at the group. “You have ten seconds to leave before I change my mind. We’re never this courteous with our other…guests.”

The group ran to the door and carefully moved Sniper’s body. They felt guilty, but there was nothing they could do at that point. They fell onto the pavement outside and looked up. They felt sick to their stomachs.

Leaving wasn’t going to be that easy.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Mortem Domus (Cont.)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17604950) by [RavenclawRiter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RavenclawRiter/pseuds/RavenclawRiter)




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